' 3-VV^ ^mrrican Hnissicrnarv ^ssociattan 287 Fourtlr .^utnxtr, 5Criu 51at'k, -N. Our Leper Church at Molokai By Rev. Rowland Backus Do^e, Wailuku, Maui, T. H. M any readers of this message will be surprised to learn that Congregationalists have a church for the lepers. But such is the case. Father Damien, that famous Catholic, did splendid work among these unfortunate people of Molokai, and has been justly praised by Charles Warren Stoddard and many others. Seven years, however, before Father Damien began his work, our own Congregational Church was organized. This was in the year 1866, the very year, in fact, that the Hawaiian Govern¬ ment established that remarkable institution, now world-famous, the Molokai Leper Settlement. Four years later, located in the very heart of the leper village, our present meet¬ ing-house was erected. The church is regularly reported in the Year Book under “Hawaii, Kalaupapa.” In the center of the picture of our leper congregation, with his little daughter’s hand in his, stands our Rev. David Kaai, who for the last four years has faithfully ministered to his sixty or more members. All of his people are not here, for the second congregation of his church worships at Kalawao, the village beyond Kalaupapa. The attendance upon his services is much larger than the reported mem- bersliip, and his parish includes the whole settlement, for many lepers prefer to retain their membership in their home churches, and not a few are absolutely unable to attend public worship because of their physical condition. The Sunday-school reports about 160 members LEPER CHURCH AT KALAWAO. and the Society of Christian Endeavor, 84. Nearly every week par¬ ishioners are added from distant parts of the territory’, and every year our minister brings to many sufferers the last word of comfort. Rev. Mr. Kaai is LEPER CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH AT KALAUPAPA. not a leper. Al¬ though he mingles freel}" with his peo¬ ple, going to them at all times to read and pray with them, he is careful and is .still “clean.” On August 4th, 190S, as agent of the Hawaiian Board of Maui and Mo¬ lokai, and as mis¬ sionary of the American Mis¬ sionary Association, I visited the Leper Settlement in the interests of our church there. I first received permission from the Board of Health in Honolulu, for no one can enter the leper confines without such a permit. The steamer lands at Kalaupapa once a week, but I descended into the settlement on horseback from the bluff, which rises abruptly from the plain to the height of two thou¬ sand feet. Aside from the narrow, wellguarded bridle¬ path, this bluff is absolutely inacces¬ sible. It drops di¬ rectly into the sea, and these two natural barriers shut off the lepers from the rest of the kalawao. world. I vi.sited every part of the settlement, and will only say the day was filled with some of the most depressing experiences of my life. Many cases, of course, were not as advanced as others. Amonp^ the inmates I saw several w'lio, a short time before, had been in other parts of my extensive field of thirty-six churches. I was impressed with the splendid care the government is giving these people, with the sacrifice of the Catholic sisters, who are doing such noble work for the lepers in their charge, and the quiet spirit of help¬ fulness and devo¬ tion of Superinten¬ dent McVeigh, Drs. Goodhue and Toll¬ man and their as¬ sistants,all of whom are patiently min- LEPER MEN AND BOYS. ISteriug tO tllCSe afflicted people. The service in our church in the evening I can never forget. I looked into the faces of perhaps one hundred and thirty lepers. Most of the men and women had splendid physique, but they were emaciated by the disease, which has never been cured except by the touch of Jesus. I felt so helpless to do anything for them, that I could do nothing for their physical condition. The only thing pos¬ sible was to help them mentally and spirituall)^ As I preached, they lis¬ tened eagerly,many leaning forward in their earnestness. At the end of my leper cottage. sermon I told the people I had known little of their church work and less of their needs, and I felt sure that few of our American church people knew that we had a church among them. They asked me to tell our home people about them, and I said I would. The hopeless expression on some of their faces brightened for the moment. The more cheerful members of the congregation said: “ Mahalo,” which means “Thank 5’ou.” I can but feel if our generous-hearted people realized that of all the many protestant denominations in America we alone had a church among the Molokai lepers, we would not neglect the opportunity of helping them. The present building, erected thirty years ago, is in a dilapidated condition. We minister to the larger proportion of the inmates of the settlement. If the Kingdom of God is to be carried on among these most helpless and pitiable people of America, to whom the church brings practically their only comfort, we must do our utmost to make the opportunities for worship adequate to their needs. I should add that I have received special permission from Super¬ intendent McVeigh, in charge of the settlement, to use the pictures that accompany this article, some of which he himself kindly fur¬ nished. Such a permission is granted in only rare instances. He wished me to use the material he gave me so that the work done for the lepers and the needs of our protestant church might be clearly understood in the mainland churches of America. Eastern District, 615 Congregational House, Boston, Mass. Western District, 153 LaSalle Street, Chicago, Ill. Pacific District, 21 Brenham Place, San Francisco, Cal.